Abel urges CBF to change Palmeiras match times, asks for care | OneFootball

Abel Ferreira made remarks about the organization of Brazilian football last Thursday after Palmeiras's 3-1 victory over Internacional at Beira-Rio, in the third round of the Brazilian Championship. This time, the Portuguese coach targeted the match schedules. Abel then called on the CBF to assess the situation and work with partners to solve the “problem.”

“If the CBF could, with care and attention, ask Globo to schedule the games earlier so I don’t have to get home at 4 a.m. We live on a continent where we have to travel a lot and, in three days, we have to play again. If Globo and those who broadcast the games want to always see the best players in action, we need to create the conditions for that. I think it’s one of the battles we must fight,” he said.

“I think the CBF is already understanding the need to reduce the number of matches and that’s good. But now there’s the need to pay attention to match times, because if we’re going to play against Remo and two days later we have another game, how am I supposed to recover the team? How am I going to have these players fully fit for the next match? They will play, and if I take the risk, I might lose two or three, just like Internacional lost a defender to injury today,” he continued.

Soon after the new Brazilian football calendar was made official, at the end of last year, Abel Ferreira praised the institution, which implemented some changes, such as reducing the number of dates in the Campeonato Paulista.

“Therefore, it’s another thing I challenge the organization of Brazilian football to pay attention to: the match times. ‘Oh, but it’s always been like this.’ I understand that it’s always been like this. But if we want to move forward, if we want to value everything we all do. Who is Brazilian football? Brazilian football is me, you, all of us, the fans, the CBF, Globo, those who broadcast Brazilian football, it’s all of us,” he concluded.

Palmeiras faced Internacional at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), in Porto Alegre. The Palmeiras delegation returned in the early hours, and on Friday, they were already back at the Football Academy to begin preparations for the match against Guarani, on Sunday, for the Paulistão.

Palmeiras’ Situation

With the victory over Internacional, Palmeiras took the lead in the Brasileirão, with seven points. The team tops the table on goal difference and is closely followed by São Paulo, Fluminense, and Bahia. Now, the Alviverde turns its attention back to the Paulista, a tournament in which it is the runner-up, with 15 points.

Palmeiras’ Next Match

Match: Palmeiras vs. Guarani Competition: Campeonato Paulista (8th round) Date and time: February 15, 2026 (Sunday), at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Arena Barueri, in Barueri (SP)

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.